Dubai, 30 October 2025 – The 15th Asia Pacific Cities Summit & Mayors’ Forum (2025APCS), hosted at Expo City Dubai, concluded on Wednesday with outcomes illustrating the importance of having mayors and urban coalitions at the forefront of global problem-solving and calling for closer collaboration between cities to deliver prosperity for future generations and the planet.

The global cities summit saw the announcement of more than USD 9 billion of investment-ready projects deployable within the year, while more than 150 mayors signed the Mayors’ Accord, championing innovation, inclusivity and climate resilience. The Summit, which represented more than 300 cities across six contents, also saw the signing of a number of city-to-city agreements.

Encapsulating the spirit of the global gathering and shared way forward, Camille Joseph Varlack, Deputy Mayor for Administration, Chief of Staff and Special Counsel to the Mayor, New York, said in her keynote speech: “I believe that our path is clear. The next era of global leadership will be written by cities that see one another as allies, by leaders who value foresight over fear, and by communities that refuse to leave anyone behind. Let us continue to build cities that are prepared, equitable and full of promise. Cities where innovation uplifts people, where compassion forms policy and where resilience gives rise to hope… I call this concept ‘multi-city lateralism’ – cities learning from each other’s strengths to accelerate solutions to shared challenges.”

Investment-ready urban initiatives unveiled Noting that cities generate more than 80 per cent of global GDP, Anna Bjerde, Managing Director of Operations, World Bank Group encouraged national governments, local communities and the private sector to work together and to “think boldly” about investing in infrastructure and services that strengthen local economies and empower local governments.

“Our goal is simple: to help cities become engines of job creation and opportunity… Imagine cities around the world as centres of connection, innovation and resilience, where investments in infrastructure and services translate into jobs and better lives. The World Bank Group stands ready to work with you, to help build cities that truly work for people.”

During the Summit, more than 20 entities from across the globe presented a portfolio of investment-ready urban infrastructure opportunities worth more than USD 9 billion and representing a project pipeline with a total value exceeding USD 65 billion.

These included the release of the procurement programme by the Brisbane 2023 Olympic and Paralympic Games Organising Committee, as well as investment opportunities in Armenia’s downtown Yerevan masterplan and Sherbo Island City, Sierra Leone – a project co-founded by Siaka Stevens and actor Idris Ilba. Likewise, Davison Simango, CEO and Co-Founder of Zotus City Development Group, outlined how regional trade through the Trans-Kalahari corridor was being enhanced by a new economic zone, paving the way for a route connecting Namibia, Botswana and South Africa.

Partnerships forged

Underscoring the summit’s collaborative ethos, the Government of Dubai signed an agreement with the Tokyo Metropolitan Government to promote collaboration in infrastructure, transport, urban resilience and digital transformation, and another with the City of Brisbane to strengthen bilateral collaboration and knowledge exchange with a focus on urban governance, hosting major events, tourism, business tourism, improving quality of life and attracting talent.

The Ministry of Economy and Tourism and Expo City Dubai also came together to launch the UAE’s first Green Innovation District – a landmark initiative set to redefine industrial development by seamlessly integrating economic growth with environmental sustainability and social responsibility.

Also at the Summit, Dubai Municipality announced the launch of Circle Dubai, a bold new project that will reshape waste management by reducing daily waste from 2.2 to 1.76kg per person.

City commitments and collaboration

More than 1,500 speakers and delegates – including mayors, policymakers, city representatives, urban planners and business leaders – gathered at the global cities summit to share solutions shaping the future of urban living, amid projections that 70 per cent of the world’s population will be living in a city by 2050.

Across three days, delegates exchanged ideas on shaping a new urban future, covering topics from resilient infrastructure to digital governance, showcasing how cities are not only laboratories of innovation but also catalysts for global cooperation. Reflecting this ethos, Dubai Chambers hosted a dedicated roundtable on trade and investment opportunities, bringing together mayors and representatives from 14 cities and administrative regions, including chambers of commerce and private-sector partners, to explore joint initiatives that strengthen inter-city trade corridors and investment flows across Asia, the Middle East and the Pacific.

The Mayors’ Forum, sponsored by Dubai Municipality, concluded with the signing of the 2025 Mayors’ Accord: The Dubai Declaration on the Future of Urban Governance. This joint declaration of intent aims to accelerate measurable progress in sustainable development – calling for cities to strengthen global trade and investment networks by building partnerships that will enhance economic resilience, harness technology to govern more effectively and fortify efforts in climate change adaptation. The accord also outlines commitments to pilot collaborative projects spanning green mobility, renewable energy and affordable housing, while institutionalising partnerships through city networks and mayoral coalitions.

As the Summit drew to a close, mayors reflected on the opportunity to translate ideas into action.

Idalio Juvane, Deputy Mayor of Maputo, said: “Government sets the rules; the private sector brings vigour. Public-private partnerships are how we turn big urban challenges into bankable, scalable projects.”

Francesco Senese, Representative of the Mayor for Foreign Affairs, Naples, Italy, said: “City diplomacy is not only about building bridges from point A to point B, it’s about opening the world to shared futures, shared visions, and creating things with us, not without us. When national governments face challenges to connect or cooperate, local diplomacy can step in — helping humanity act with greater vision and unity.”

Capturing the spirit of the Summit, Councillor Adrian Schrinner, Lord Mayor of Brisbane, said: “I’ve found that often cities get along better than countries because they look for commonalities. They look for common problems, common solutions, and in the end, a friendship between two mayors that can develop in a place like this Summit can be an incredibly powerful thing.”

An innovation-driven, people-centric community rooted in the belief that collaboration can propel sustainable progress, Expo City's hosting of the global cities summit leverages and builds on its legacy as a convener and enabler as the home of Expo 2020 Dubai and COP28.